Evan’s NHL Daily: Bergeron Calls It A Career, Kovalenko Signs

One of the greatest, if not the greatest, two-way player called it a career on Tuesday. Patrice Bergeron, one of the classiest players to ever dress in the league, announced his retirement after 19 NHL seasons. I’ve got my own (small) Bergeron story to share below.

With the Colorado Avalanche, news we knew was coming became official, as Nikolai Kovalenko officially signed his 2-year entry-level contract.

All that and more in this Wednesday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

The contract is now signed, and it’s just a matter of time before we see Nikolai Kovalenko in an Avalanche uniform.

The Avalanche have added 5 new forwards this summer. Which one is the most important heading into next year? We took a look, and ranked them.

Which New Avalanche Acquisition Is The Most Important?

On Wednesday, we’ll be running a fan poll…which new acquisition are you most excited about? And that doesn’t really mean who you think is the best, but who you’re most excited to watch.

Around the NHL

Patrice Bergeron, one of the most consistent players to ever play the game, announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday. Everyone kind of knew it was coming, but it’s rare to see great players go out when they’re still at the top of their game. And make no mistake, Bergeron was still elite.

Patrice Bergeron has announced his retirement. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/IP1MDo52iU

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 25, 2023

When I was playing AAA here in Colorado, we brought in a kid from Quebec to join the team. He turned out to be one of my better friends, and came to my wedding a few years back. Before he moved out here, he just so happened to go to play on the same high school team as Patrice Bergeron, and told me stories of the Bruins Captain.

For one, he made it clear on something that has become obvious over the last 20 years – Bergeron is an incredible person. He couldn’t say a single bad thing about him. Off the ice, he was as classy as it gets, even as a teenager. He also told me stories of just how dominant Bergeron was for Séminaire St-François Blizzard as a 16 year old. Anytime the team was down, Bergeron would dial up a coast-to-coast rush, and make things look easy.

The same year I played together with my friend, Bergeron made the Bruins as an 18 year old. We would watch his games on road trips, and he’d tell us exactly what the star forward was going to do. On the TV, you can see plays develop. That’s not so easy on the ice, but it always was for Bergeron. He could see things happening 2-3 steps ahead of everyone else, and that’s why he was so good as a teenager, and still incredible late into his 30’s.

He really is one of the smartest players to ever play the game, and I have to imagine he’s headed into the Hall of Fame someday. Congrats to him on a great career.

Here are the top 5 moments of his career, as told by BHN’s Jimmy Murphy.

National Hockey Now

Pittsburgh: They battled on the ice for years, and were teammates internationally. Sidney Crosby salutes Patrice Bergeron.

Florida: The Panthers missed him in the NHL playoffs, but they locked up Eetu Luostarinen to a 3-year deal Tuesday.